12-19-2003, 02:25 AM
REWARDS OF HUMILITY
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) has said; “One who has attained humility for Allah, Allah exalts him.” This means that the one who annihilates himself, through this blessing, Allah makes him great in the eyes of people, and he who thinks himself great, Allah drops and disgraces him to such an extent that he becomes worse than animals. If Allah drops and disgraces a person, who can give him high stages and honour him? The one who Allah dishonours, who can ever elevate him?
A servant who thinks himself great, is not great in reality because he was created from his father’s sperm and mother’s menstruation blood.
So friends, the one whom Allah drops, who can ever raise him? Just think of Allah’s might and power.
An elephant which is a creation of Allah, wraps a human in it’s trunk and flings him, then even the world’s greatest heavy weight champion and wrestler will also fall. If this is the might and power of a creation of Allah then what must be the power of the Creator? So if Allah does not honour and protect anyone, then he is knocked around from pillar to post and is degraded.
Pride cannot be concealed. If someone has pride, it shows out in every aspect of his life, be it in walking, talking, eating or sleeping. People too think him unworthy and proud. Shaytمn puts these thoughts in his heart, that no one appreciates me, my piety, my knowledge and actions. There is no one like me. Such a person who thinks great of himself is low and degraded in people’s eyes. This pride is a very dangerous disease.
Therefore, do not show too much humility to a proud person (although inside your heart, don’t think him degraded, but think yourself lowly and degraded) otherwise his disease of pride will increase.
THE TREATMENT OF PRIDE WITH EXTERNAL PRIDE
When King Taimur Lang was ruling, he was crippled with one leg. When sitting, he had to sit spreading the crippled leg out in front of him. One day, while sitting in this position, Allمma Taftazمni ® arrived. He too sat down in a similar manner, spreading his leg in front of him in the direction of the king. The king asked him as to why he was sitting with his leg spread out, since he himself is helpless, so he has to sit in this way.
The Allمmah replied; “I feel ashamed that an ignorant person should spread his leg towards me. In this way my knowledge of Deen is disgraced therefore I am sitting in this manner.”
This is how the rulers were treated. The Ulamم were absolutely independent of them.
Another king came to a pious person who was lying down. He did not ever sit up for the king. Instead, he just shook hands while in his reclining position. The kings attendant was a shia. He asked the pious person, “Since when have you learned to sleep with your legs out stretched?” The saint replied, “From the time I have held my hands back, have I spread my legs out. I do not spread my hands in front of Allah’s creations and I am independent of the flattery of the creation.”